Water purification apparatus



April 18, 1950 M. G. PRIETO 2,504,349

- WATER PURIFICATION APPARATUS Filed March 30, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet l A INVENTOR: Mmuzz. 6. PR/ETO M, WA M AT 7 0161/5 Y6 April 18, 1950 M. cs. PRIETO WATER PURIFICATION APPARATUS Filed March so, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR. M/ 0051. 6, PP/ETO w w w April 18, 1950 Filed March 50, 1945 M. G. PRIETO WATER PURIFICATION APPARATUS MMAW 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. M/GUEL 6. 39/570 M. G. PRIETO WATER PURIFICATION APPARATUS April 18, 1950 4Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 50, 1945 'mmwmn F'IE.EI

F'IEJE] IN V EN TOR. M/az/a 6. Pi/nv BY 71%, M #M i atentea Apr. 18, 1950 NI TED OFFICE -&2;504,349 WATERPURiFICATIUNKPPARATUS Miguel G. Prieto, :Cliicago, Ill.

'Apiilieiitimi'ma'rth 30, 1945, Serial No; 585,740

s emms.

This in'VeIitic'ih relates to dv'ices' 'fbr thep'u'ri fibatiii'nof"wateraiid"particularly'peftaihst an apparatus for such purpose utilizing ultraviolet fayflaiiipsfor ais'pusme er haeteriaflin-"dfihkm water. I I

It the principal object or my present-"invention to provide an improvedapparatus for. urifibtion of fir'ihkihgflwater, in Whichapparatus the" purification eiretted by subjecting {water iifissiii'g theietliiofih tothe "ger'miiiidal'efie'cts of ultraviolet" rays. 7 I

It'isJa fifi't objeevf mypreseminvntich to provide a, vice of the character "referred to which 'i'sof 1e; 'tom'pagctahd inexpensive tom struetio and 1 whiqh aeeess 'tdthevariousparts ten beradnwhed for -e1eansirigpurposes. I

The invention is exemplified in th'follhWi-ng flesoi'ipti'dii 'illustratedbYWaybf example in theaceempa in'gflmwingsym'whichz Fig. new in elevatioirof a device iiibody iiifgon'e form of my invention, v k

Fig. 2 'is'a'froht "elevation of the same withthe cater portion in""elevated "'or op n position.

"'F'ig." 3 is a" transverse s'ectibnafview o'f the appa ratu's'takenonlih'e3 36f Fig. 7 h

tiew'ofthe trey'evefwmcmhe water passes a'*tortubi1sfpath.

Fig; 6 is a side"e'leva'ltibnof Wseedfid which the invention may assume.

Fig.1? is a"""cential var-um "seem 511* there- Fig. *8 is "a View like Figfhwith the" exception 't'h'at the -dver and ease patr n ere separetea to snow I the manner in *Whih they may he lc'lelan's'ed.

closed position, the base 'and' cover:- portions :1

$115. eTo accomplish this the-front ahd' endwall-s of thfe'base sefitionrl l afid theeover setion' were ej plememm, asdllustrated. When the cover sectionl2 "is in upraisd or openposi'tiom as iliustrat'edinwig. 3,-"acc'ess may be had to the germicidal *la'i'ri'ps- I 5 carried by" the pater "section' |2"--'a'ndtoawater tray lfimarr'ied by thebaseseetion- I I "The'water-trayl 6 is rigid 1y"iastehedmiithin-the 'base section l Iand isso constructed" that-water delivered thereto for'puiifieation-Will travelby "gravity 'in 'a-tortuous "path thereovei" from the *inlet'tothe'fiisbharge. For this purpose the water trayifi is'io'rmed of three integral sha1low"troii'ghs f1; Wand 'l 9, which "are dis'posefi in sideby side position and extend in parallelism longitudinally of the nous i'ng. Thetroughs 1"!and (9' are' similarly inclined b'iit at"Hifierentfelevatiohs, whilethetrough i8 ,i'sbppositel? inclined to Y the samedegree and its upper end" is on the -=1eve1 with the lower end-"oi the trough I 1. lower end is=orr approximate 1ythe-"l'evel of the upper end b'fthe trough l9. The trough 1'8 eommunieatesat i'ts upper end With'the 'l'owere'nd bf the trbugh IT'andCOihiii'i'inicates'at its "lowererid with the up er-end of the trough'lQ; as illustrated;"s'o'thafiwaterfieilitered'fto" the upper' end-of the trough I"! "will tratellongituii'in thereover, .thenc'eiaterany iht'o the"'1'1ppe'rend'of'the trough Hrandieverse its ion'gitulingal t'ravei so as to pass over the thigh TBJiid flepo'sitf'in the upper end of'the trough "[9. At this"pbint"itiilischarges lafteraliy intothe upper eneer the trough IQ'and-again reverses its travel and. travels longitutiina'ily"=-of the trough 1'9to'a; lisoharge spout 2B, which-- opens iiitothe trough 3'9 adjacent "the*lbwermost'*end thereof. 'Thusflit" seen that waterdlivered into the tray 16 -willtravel 'a""t'or-tuo'us path the'reover by gravity in-a comparative-1y shallow sheet; fro'm 'the point "of *inlet' to the poirit-ofdi's charge. Mounted inf-the mover 's'ectidn" 1 2 "oft-he housing are the th-ree' --germi' 'idallazirnzas -15, one being provided. *for each *trou'gh 1 430 l 9, inclusive. These lampsare so mouritd' thecciver section I! of the hou'sinfg thatofie centrally 'ovefl ies arid eiit'eri'dsflbngitfidlnllyt e "run "length (ifeach trough. 'I hes l-ampS are mounted i-n' the --'cov'er sebtidnl 2 so'that -When the cover s'ection w in clbsed position-as illu'stra-ted Fig. 4,-each lamp is disposed parallel to the bottom of it's-pair tiiflali ti ddgh ata prepeiily spaeed 'ctistanee from that bdttom so as t'o o'i e'rlie :water travening thereal'ong. m1 'other words, oneiof ithe lamps is ar-ranged lonitudmally otithe h'ousing in par allelism withith'bottom tofatheiltrough 1-1.

next lamp I5 is mounted in the cover l2 to extend in parallelism with the bottom of the trough l8, while the third lamp centrally overlies the trough l9 and is disposed in parallelism with the bottom thereof. This is so that the water will be exposed to the purifying bacteria killing efifects of the lamps equally during its entire tortuous travel over the tray I 6.

It should be pointed out here that the tray 16 and the troughs formed thereby are made of suitable material having a high reflecting and low absorption factor so as to maintain a continuous repulsion of the ultraviolet rays bombarded by the lamps and assuring a continuous crisscross of the violet rays through the body of the water while the latter is in motion over the troughs.

It is intended, as previously pointed out, to provide a water flow over the troughs evenly spread over the bottom thereof and of a substantially uniform depth in order that the ultraviolet energy radiated from the lamps will be effective in reaching throughout the entire water depth and thereby be efiective in killing all bacteria therein. The tortuous path Which the water takes through the present. apparatus and the slope of the troughs is such that sufficient time elapses between the delivery of the water to the troughs and its discharge therefrom to enable the ultraviolet energy radiated from the lamps to be completely effective indisposing of all of the bacteria therein.

For increasing the effectiveness of the lamps, I provide each of them with a semi-circular reflector 2|. These reflectors are interconnected and are rigidly secured to the cover section ll! of the housing and are disposed in correct reflecting position with respect to each lamp. They are likewise formed of a suitable material with a high reflecting and low absorption factor so as to properly reflect the energy rays radiated from the lamps into the stream of water flowing through the troughs. These reflectors are, of course, fixed in the cover section l2 in parallelism with the lamps l5, all as illustrated.

Obviously, when the cover [2 is upraised, as shown in Fig. 3, the lamps may be removed and the reflectors quickly cleansed. Although the shape of the reflectors shown in the drawings is substantially semi-circular in cross-section and concentric with respect to the lamps l5, they may be parabolic or any other desired form or shape which may produce a maximum reflection without departing from my invention.

The lamp sockets lid for the lamps are suitably mounted in the ends of the cover section and are suitably electrically associated with ballasts l5b and lamp starters I'5c. Inasmuch as the association between the lamps and these electric elements is old and well known, the circuits thereof need not be described in detail.

At one end of the housing and carried by the base section II thereof is a water supply box 22 connected with a source of inlet water by a pipe- 23 which may be controlled by any suitable form of valve. This water supply box is so constructed and so associated with the upper end of the trough H, as illustrated, that the water, when it flows into said trough, is spread in a wide flat stream.

In the use of the apparatus it is constructed and assembled as shown in the. drawings and water is delivered to the water supply box 22 from whence it discharges in a flat stream into the upper end of the trough ll .of the tray [6.

From this point it flows in a stream of even depth downwardly of the trough I! and then laterally into the trough l8, and then downwardly of that trough and thence laterally into the upper end of the trough l9. From this point it flows downwardly to and thence through the discharge spout 20. The angularity or slope of the troughs I! to I9, inclusive, is such that the water will flow in a stream of substantial uniform depth with a minimum of turbulence throughout its tortuous travel over the tray l6. During this time the circuit through the germicidal lamps is completed so that the latter will radiate ultraviolet energy, which energy rays will bombard the water as it travels through its tortuous path to dispose of the bacteria therein.

For the purposes of replacing the germicidal lamps or cleaning the unit for any reason whatsoever, it is merely necessary to elevate the cover section 12 which completely exposes the entire interior of the housing and all Darts thereof so that the same may be cleansed or replaced if necessary.

If desired, the apparatus may be disposed on a stand of any character or it may be disposed on wall support brackets, as disclosed in the drawmgs.

In the form of the invention disclosed in Figs. 6 to 10, inclusive, the housing is generally cylindrical in plan and is composed of a base portion 25 and a complemental cover portion 26. The cover portion is suspended on a pipe 21 which is bent right angularly, as illustrated, and constitutes not only a water conduit to the cover, but also constitutes a bracket for suspending the apparatus from a wall or other upright support as illustrated.

The base portion 25 of the apparatus is connected by a connector 28 to the vertical portion of the pipe 21 in a manner that enables it to be moved vertically coaxially of the cover and pivoted about the pipe 2'! in a horizontal plane, as most clearly illustrated in Fig. 8. By lowering the base portion 25 with respect to the cover, the interior of the apparatus will be entirely accessible for cleansing or any other purpose.

It will be noticed that the marginal meeting edges of the cover and base portions 26 and 25 are complemental to form a comparatively tight water seal therebetween when the two parts are brought in juxtaposition for use.

The connection [between the pipe 2'! and the cover 26 is most clearly illustrated in Fig. 7, in which it is shown that the end of the pipe 21 is fixed at the axial center of the cover and projects downwardly therethrough. This is in order that water to be treated may be admitted from the pipe 21 directly through the cover and discharged downwardly over the axial center of the base portion 25. A valve 2-9 is provided, as in the form previously discussed, to control the amount of water admitted to the apparatus.

Fixed within the base portion 25 is a circular trough plate 30 which is so formed as to provide a shallow spiral and gradually declining shallow trough from its axial center to its perimeter, thus providing a gradually declining spiral or tortuous water conducting passageway from its axial center to its perimeter. This is most clearly illustrated in Fig. 9 of the drawings.

The formation of the passageway or trough in the trough plate is such that water deposited over the axial center of the plate will discharge into the upper end of the spiral trough or passageway and the same .will travel by gravity ascetic throughout the length of the spiral passageway in a shallow stream and discharge at the perimeter of the plate. For this purpose the trough plate is formed with a port 3! connected to a conduit 32 within the base portion 25, and which in turn is connected with a spout 33 at the bottom of the base portion for the discharge of the water.

The underside of the cover member 26 is formed to provide concentric reflectors 34 for directing rays, of germicidal lamps'which are arouate in cross-section. These reflectors are formed of suitable material with a high reflecting and low absorptionfactor so as' to properly reflect the energy rays radiated from lamps into the stream of water flowing over the trough or spiral passageway.

Suspended at a spaced distance from the reflectors sothat the will be spaced likewise from the troughs are two substantially circular germicidal lamps 35. One of these lamps is of a diameter smaller than the other and they are concentrically disposed within the cover portion 26 in such a fashion that their energy rays will be directed through the Water passing over the spiral passageway. The position of the lamps is such that they are substantially parallel to the bottom of the passageway or trough and substantially overlying the same, so that the water will be subjected to the energy rays of the lamps throughout its entire passage over the trough plate.

The cover portion 26 carries suitable electrical connections for directing the activating current to the lamp. As the details of such connections are conventional, they are not here illustrated or described.

I should like to point out, however, that the trough plate is made of suitable material having a high reflecting and low absorption factor so as to maintain a continuous repulsion of the ultraviolet rays bombarded by the lamps and assuring a continuous crisscross of the violet rays through the body of the water, while the latter is in motion over the trough plate.

When it is desired to cleanse the apparatus shown in Figs. 6 to 10, inclusive, it is only necessary to close the valve 29, lower the base portion 25 on the pipe 21 and then swing the base portion horizontally out of alignment with the cover portion 26, This renders all parts of the apparatus accessible for cleansing. Likewise, it renders the lamps accessible for replacement.

From the foregoing it is obvious that I have provided a very simple and efllcient apparatus of comparatively small size which may be used in purification of drinking water as it is used or in comparatively small amounts. Obviously, the apparatus which I have disclosed herein will be comparatively inexpensive to produce while adapted for eflicient home use.

While I have shown the preferred forms of my invention, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in its construction by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An apparatus of the character described comprising a casing, a tray in the casing, said tray comprising interconnected shallow troughs for conducting a comparatively flat shallow stream of water over the tray by gravity in a tortuous path, and a plurality of germicidal lamps overlying the tray and inpar'allelismwith said troughs to radiate their rays through such astream as it passes over said troughs.

2. Anapparatus of the" character described tinuoustortuous declining path over the tray, germicidal lamps carried insaid cover section to overlie the troughs when said cover section is in, lowered or closed position with respect to the base to radiate their rays through a stream of water flowing by gravity over the tortuous declining path formed by said troughs.

3. An apparatus of the character described comprising a casing formed of a base section and base section and formed with longitudinally interconnected troughs so inclined as to form a continuous tortuous declining water conducting passagewayon the tray, elongated germicidal lamps carried by the cover section and overlying the troughs when said cover section is closed and extending substantially centrally and longitudinally thereof in parallelism with the bottoms of the troughs at a uniform distance therefrom whereby said lamps will radiate their rays through a stream of water being conducted over said troughs.

4. An apparatus of the character described comprising a casing formed of a base section and a cover section hingedly connected thereto, a tray disposed substantially horizontally in the base section and formed with longitudinally interconnected troughs so inclined as to form a continuous tortuous declining water conducting passageway on the tray, elongated germicidal lamps carried by the cover section and overlying the troughs when said cover section is closed and extending substantially centrally and longitudinally thereof in parallelism with the bottoms of the troughs at a uniform distance therefrom whereby said lamps will radiate their rays through a stream of water being conducted over said troughs, and means for delivering water to the most elevated end of said path and discharging it from the lowermost end of said path formed by the troughs.

5. Apparatus of the character described, comprising a casin formed of a bottom section and a removable cover section, a trough disposed in said bottom section and defining a path having an inclined surface for conducting a comparatively shallow stream of liquid through said casing by gravity, liquid inlet and outlet means for said trough, and lamp means adapted to produce germicidal radiation, said lamp means having a configuration generally similar to said trough and overlying the same when said cover section is closed and being positioned in spaced, substantially parallel relation to said trough substantially throughout the full extent thereof.

6. Apparatus of the character described comprising a bottom section, a trough disposed therein defining a declining path for conducting a comparatively flat shallow stream of liquid through the apparatus by gravity, a cover section and germicidal lamp means disposed within said cover section, said lamp means having the same general configuration as said trough and positioned to overlie said trough in spaced relation thereto and in substantially parallel relationship therewith substantially throughout said trough i'or radiating germicidal rays through the prising a bottom section, a conico-helical trough disposed therein defining an inwardly and downwardly spiraling path for water, a cover section, and lamp means disposed in said cover section, said lamp means having a substantially conicohelical configuration overlying said trough in spaced relation thereto and in substantially parallel relation therewith substantially throughout the path.

8. A purifying apparatus comprising a casing, shallow trough means in the casing comprisin an inclined surface for conducting a comparatively flat shallow stream of liquid through said casing by gravity, and germicidal lamp means overlying and substantially parallel to said surface, and extending substantially throughout the full extent of said surface along the line of flow to radiate germicidal rays through said stream as-it passes over said surface.

MIGUEL G. PRIETO.

aarsnnncns crrao The. following references are of record in the me of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,052,818 Henri et a1. Feb. 11, 1913 [1,193,143 Henri et al. Aug. 1, 1916 1,582,677 Goodall Apr. 27, 1926 2,248,618 Fischer July 8, 1941 2,332,099 McKinnis Oct. 19, 1943 2,347,954 Kiely May 2, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 486,754 Great Britain June 7, 1938 OTHER REFERENCES Food Industrial," June 1936, article by James, 

